Folding perambulator.



0. KURZ. FoLDING PBRAMBULAT'OB;

APPLIOATIOF FILED HAR. 6, 190B.

933,079. Y Patented Sept. 7, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Wn-QESSES Y u uwe R; am@ f UNITED STATES PA'mlT OFFICE.

OTTO KURZ, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOB T0 MELVIN J.' FOYER, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1.909.

Application led larch 5, 1909. Serial' No. 419,265.

To all 'whom 'it 'may concern:

B'e. it known that I, O'rro KURZ, a subject -of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and btate of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Perambulatorsi and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to' which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and4 to the li s of reference marked thereon, which orm a part of this specification.

In that class of folding or colla sible perambulators in which the wheels an sidearms may be' folded into substantially parallel relation with the frame of the vehlcle, it has been ditlicultto secure the parts, when extended in operative position, against foldmgv or collapsing. Usually the means employed to secure the several membersA of the structure in operative position have required independent manual manipulation which, for obvions reasons, is at times extremely objectionable.

My invention relates to and its object is to provide means for overcoming the didiculties and objections here indicated, and, more articuiarly, to lprovides. brace to revent t e inward folding of the wheels o the erambul'ator and to give rigidity to the rame when in operative position which brace shall be automatically thrown into and out of en agement with the folding parts by the act o `openingand closing the folding mechanisms; to provide an automatic locking device or detent for preventing the brace above referred to from escaping fromitsoperatifve osition; to furnish means for a, tomatical y releasing such locking device or datent by the act of lifting the structure by its forward and rear members, and to provide a sup ort and protection for t e feet and. legs 01g) the occupant of the vehic e cion- 'sisting of a dash, a dash-step, and a floorsection pivotallv'connected together and to the frame of t e lnachineA in. such fashion that these arts may be folded. into parallel relation iny rmony with. the folding-of the 'other parts of the device.

I attain. these llifcts b. means of the devices and errang ent o parts hereinafter.

pivoted, as at 17, to

described and shown, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which,-

Figure 1 is a side-elevation of a per-ambulator provided with my improvements; Fig.

2, a top-plan view of the same; Fig. 3, u-

rear-elevation of a portion of the same; Fig. 4, a side-elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the locking device and the folding dash and their connections, hereinafter referred to, in extended o erative locked position, and Fig. 5, a like e ovation of thesame in unlocked and folded position.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throu hout the several views.

In the 4rawings, 1-1 are side-bars, 2 a front-bar, and 3 a rear-bar, these four bars beinglrigidly secured together and constituting t e run gear frame of the perambulator. Secur tothe side-bars near their opposite ends are clips 4 to the underside of which are pivoted, as at 5, wheel-forks 6 between the lower extremities of which are journaled, as at 7, the supporting wheels 8. These wheels are, by means of their pivoted jsupports, adapted to fold inwardly beneath @the running gear frame and into parallel reilation therewith. Various devices are employed for effecting the. swinging of .the Wheels into and out of operati-ve posltlon, but as these devices constitute no part of the resent invention, they will not here urther illustrated or described.

lVhe-n the rear .wheels are in unfolded eX- tended operative position, it becomes necessarv to, provide some means for preventlng their movement or swing upon the ivots 5. This is accomplished by means of t e struc-V turenow to. be described. At. the rear end of the side-bars 1 are two handles 9 pivoted, 'asgat 10, tothe runningar frame.

11 is-a lever fulerume connecting bar L4, the other endof w ivotall connected, as at 15, with the handie 9. he part 14 forms an arm for the seat of the carriage. i

16 is a link, the forward end of which is the lever 11, the rear end being pivoted, asV at, 18, to a U-shaped bar 19 near its extremity, It will be understood that the parts numbered from 9 to 18, inclusive, are in duplicate and thatboth sides of as at 12, upon i Aside-bars of the running-gear frame and plvlotally connected, as at 13, to one enf a i 1s lil) ,frames Secured to the inner member o the device are constructed alike. The bar 19 is pivoted, as at 20, intermediate itsextremitles and its bends, upon the inner side of the bars 1 of the runnin -gear frame. It will be seen that when t e handles 9 are swun forward upon their ivots 1Q so that they lie upon the top of t e runninlgear frame, the levers 11 and Ha ts 14 w1 old into parallel relation wit -he handle and the running-gear frame. rIhe forward swlng of the levers 11 will, :through the links 16, cause the brace-bar 19 to swing u on its pivots 20 throwing the lower art o the bar 19 upward and backward so t at now the links 16 and the brace-bar 19 will lie substantially in the same plane with the runningiapr e respective rear fork-arms 6 are inwardly projecting pieces 21, each bent to form a socket dr jaw 22 openin rearwardly. These aws are so dis osed t at the lower ends o the arms of t e brace-bar 19,--when they are swung forwardly into operative os1t1on,' enter the jaws as illustrated in It will be seen thatV now the wheelorks'together with their wheels are secured against ateral movement.

4If when the brace-bar 19 is engaged with lthe jaws 22 the top ofthe handles 9 were to be pressed forward the brace-rod would be thrown out of engagement with the jaws and the rear wheels would be allowed to collapse provided some means were not employed to prevent such accident. To obviate such contingency I provide bars 23, pivoted at their rear end, as atl 24, to the levers 11 and each having on its under side near its forward end, a notch 25.

26 is a cross-rod extendin between and se.

cured at its ends to the si e-bars 1. When the erambulator is in unfolded extended positlon, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the lever 11 pulls the bars 23 backwardly until the notch 25 slips over upon and in engagement with the rod 26, so that now the lever 11 and the bars pivotally connected therewith cannot be moved until the notches are disenaged vfrom the Across-rod. 'The bars 23 are e d against accidental displacement by springs 27 secured to the running-gear frame which s rings pressdownwardly upon the top of the ars 23.

28 1s a stout wire bail the extremities of `which are. pivoted, as at 29, to the side-bars of the running-gear frame. The cross-member ofthe ball 28 lies directly beneath and near tothe front bar 2 of the running-gear frame. Each of the bars 23 at their foras at 23, forming a short arm which lies drectly in the path of the side-members of the bail-piece 28. When the operator seizes the iront cross-bar 2 for the pur ose of foldin the structure, the cross-mem r of the bai 28 lies so close beneath -the part 2 that both loop .43 passin pieces are olas ed at the same time, thereby swinging the ail upwardly u on its pivot and causin the bail to strike Llle short arms 23l of the ocking arms 23, thus disengaging the notches 25 from the rod 26 and unlocking the members 23 and permitting the fold ingfof the several parts upon their pivots as above described. The locking device here described, 1n locked position and in unlocked position, is clearly illustrated in F 4 and 5.

For the protection and sup ort of the 'feet and legs of the occu ant o the vehicle, I provide a dash 30, a dIIiSh-step 31, and a bottoni apron or floor-section 32, these three parts together forming an inverted hood or a pocket below the level of the running-gear frame and forming usuall a forward extension of the seat 33 which 1s usually horizontally disposedf sli htly above the plane of the runnlngear rame. The dash is pivot ed to the das -step, as at 34, the latter being hin d to the floor-section or apron, as at 35, an the latter member being pivotally connected at its rear edge, as lat 36, Vto thelevers 11 below their fulcrums 12. At op osite sides of the running-gear frameare evers 37, each fulcrumed upon the inner side Aof the bar 1, as at 29, having in its upper end a slot 38,611 a ed by a pin 39 projecting from the side eilt 1e nelghboring locklng bar 23.

40 is a bail of stout wire the extremities of which are pivoted to the lower ends oflthe levers 37, as at 41, the cross-member offthe bail 40 being pivotally connected, as at 42, to

.hood or pocket 304,-3-1-32 is supporte by straps 43 secured to the forward part o the dash and dash-ste and forming a oop which is suspende upon the cross-rodi 26, as illustrated in Fig. 4. It will be seen at when the erambulator is thrown into fol ed position t le locking bar swings the lever 37 upon its fulcrum which ulls the dash 3() back untilit meets the ash-step 31, these parts being swung upwardly by the strapover the rod 26. At the same time theackward swing of the lever 11 draws the two folded parts 30-31 and the rear part 32 nearly intoalinement and into a plane substantiall parallel with the running-gear frame, as c early illustrated in ElIgI. 5.

aving described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-- 1. In a folding perambulator comprising -a back and a seat portion, a foot welll cornrising a normally inclined floor section. a sash-step and a dash, and means controlled by movement of 'said backfor folding said dash onto `said`dashstep and simultaneously elevating sai dashsstep and said door seetion into su stantial alinement with said seat portion.

, tendin esame Q. A. folding perambulator comprising means tor bracing said perambulator against collapse, means for locking said bracing means in operative position, a handle, and a releasing, means at the end of the machine opposite the handle, whereby the perambulator may be collapsed by grasping the handle and the releasing means respectively in the hands of the operator and moving the hands toward each other.

3. In a device of' the described character, a running-gear frame, wheel-supports pivoted to and adapted to fold beneath the trame, a brace pivotally supported by the frame and adapted to hold the wheel-supports in extended operative position, a handle pivoted upon the frame, a lever fulcrumed upon the frame, pivotal connections between the handle and the lever, pivotal connections between thelever and said brace, a bar pivoted. at one end to the lever and having at its other end a notch, means upon the frame for engagement with said notch, and a sprin upon the frame engaged with said notche bar. i

4. In a device of the described character, a running-gear frame, wheel-supports pivoted to and adapted to fold beneath the frame, a brace pivotally supported upon. the frame, means upon the wheel-supports for detachably en aging the brace, a handle pivoted to the rame, pivotal connections between the handle and the brace, a detent for holding the brace in operative position, and means for releasing said detent com rising a substantially U-shaped piece pivota y supported at its extremities upon the frame and extending across the front end of the frame immediately beneath the front cross-member ot' the frame and adapted to engage said detent.

ln a device of the described character, a running-gear frame, wheel-Supports pivoted to and adapted to fold beneath the frame, a brace pivotall supported` b the frame and adapted to iold the whee -supports in extended operative position, a handie pivoted u on the frame, a lever.fulcrumed upon t e frame, pivotal connections between the handle and the lever, pivotal connections between the lever and said brace, a detent'for holding the lever against movement o'n its fulcrum, and a bail, substan- 'tially U-shaped, pivoted at its extremities upon the side-members of the frame andexacross the frame immediatel be neath t e forward end-member of theA rame between the handle andthe brace, a detent for holding the bracein operative position. and a' release for said decent having a handpiece disposed in such relation to the fors ward cross member of the frame that the hand-piece and the cross-member may be together clasped in one hand.

7. In a device of the described character, a runningear frame, wheel-su ports pivoted to and a apted to fold beneath the frame, a locking mechanism for holding said wheelsupports in extended operative position, a

detent for said locking mechanism, and a release for said detent comprising a handpiece movably supported in o erative relation to the detent and dispose -close to and arallel with the front cross-piece of the rame.

8. In a device df the described character, a running-gear frame, a handle pivotall supported at one end of the frame and a a ted to fold into parallel relation therewit i, a locking mechanism which holds the handle in extended operati-ve position, and a releasing mechanism contiguous to and adapted to be manually grasped simultaneously with lhe end-member at the opposite end of the rame.

9. In a device of the described character, a A

runnin -gear frame, a handle (pivotally supported y 4and adapted to fol into parallel relation with the frame, a foot-support con nected with and adapted to fold in harmony with the movement of the handle, a detent for said folding mechanisms, and for said detent a releasino mechanism disposed contiguous to and :u apted to be grasped simultaneously with the front member of the frame.

10. In a device of the described character, a running-gear frame, foot-supports pivotally supported by the frame and consisting ,of a dash a dash-step and an apron pivotall)T connected together, a handle pivoted on the frame, a lever pivotally connected with the handle and fulcrumed on the frame, and Ameans controlled by thelever for swinging the dash the step and the apron into substantially parallel relation with the frame.

11. In a deviceof the described character, a running-gear frame, wheel-supports pivoted to and adapted to fold beneath the frame, a brace pivotall ,supported by the frame and adapted to old the wheel-supports in extended operative position, a han` 1 tions pivotally connected together and adapt- 13 ed to fold into substantially parallel relation with the frame, pivotal connections intermediate the front-member of the foot-supports und the detent, and pivotal connections between the rear-Inelpber of the foot-supports und the lever.

1:?` [n a device of the described character, n running-gear frame, Wheel-supports and a handle pivoted upon 'and adapted to fold into substantially parallel relation with the frame, at brace pivotally supported by the frame und adapted to engage and to hold the wheel-supports in extended operative pomechanism for the ileent, and a hand-piece Jvhich controls seid releasing mechanism,`

said hand-piece being so positioned as to permit of its hoperation practically simultaneously with the manual folding of the handle and the whee1-support.

In testimony whereof VI affix my Signature in presence of two witnesses. y Y

OTT() KURZ. Witnesses:

CLEM. V. WAGN En, ADA E. CAMERON. 

